Hey Friends!

So I posted a poll in last week’s post asking about what you’d like to see coming up; it seems the lead answer is databases, closely followed by apps…since this is my first time jumping into databases with you guys, I thought I’d share a fun one!

Last month, Warner Bros. released a spy movie called The Man From U.N.C.L.E., based off the original 1960s spy TV show by the same name. Most millennials my age won’t remember the original show, but I know some baby boomers and fellow spy movie nerds (like myself) enjoyed the show. What does this have to do with databases? Patience…

So both the film and original show follow American secret agent Napoleon Solo and Russian spy Illya Kuryakin and their adventures working for the United Network Command for Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.), undertaking daring secret missions to stop evil criminal syndicates. During the 1960s, it was hourly segments of “America and Russia working together! See, there’s no Cold War!”

In case you like spy movies, the trailer for the film is below:

Pretty cool, right? If you noticed, Illya has a really interesting looking gun. It’s like a half-pistol, half-rifle combo thing.

As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one who liked it. I had a patron come in asking about it after seeing the film and wanted to know more. “It looked so cool! Is it real?” While I enjoy spy movies, I’m not a gun expert by any means. TO THE INTERNET!

By this point, you’re probably thinking the same thing I was.

How do I go about tracking this thing down beside Googling “man from uncle gun”? It’s not like there’s some database that shows what guns are featured in films and shows, right?

HOLY CRAP, THERE REALLY IS ONE.

Say hello to the Internet Movie Firearm Database (or IMFDB).

(Click to see bigger!)

OF COURSE their featured article is Indiana Jones.

It’s like the lesser-known cousin of the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), but for guns.

Okay, so let’s look for this gun…this movie is still in theaters and it already has a page up listing the film’s arsenal. One click later, and I’m at the page for the pistol itself. These people are dedicated, I’ll give them that.

Upon closer inspection, that is pretty darn snazzy.

The history of the weapon, what films and shows it’s been used in, and who used it – both actor and character – and even where to get one! That’s right, you can buy a faithful replica of the U.N.C.L.E. pistol from The Uncle Gun Company. While Uncle Gun only sells non-firing and BB gun replicas, I found some guy in Texas who made a live version that fires real bullets. Because Texas, that’s why.

Needless to say, this guy was very pleased with the information I gave him. When I showed him that it’s the same weapon from the original show, he went crazy:”There’s a show?!? When? Who was on it?” That’s when I introduced him to IMDB. If you’re an NCIS fan, you’ll like knowing that the original Illya Kuryakin was played by David McCallum, also known as Ducky! Actually, there’s a joke about it on the show:

Pretty cool database, right? I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Now to go look at at that Indiana Jones page…

Do you know of any cool databases you want to share? Want more cool stuff like this in your life? Comment here or connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exclusively Brash content and to share your thoughts!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian